Iceland - VIKING MONUMENTS AND SITES / Þingvellir National Park

Þingvellir is a national park entirely in state ownership based on the Þingvellir National Park Act no. 47/2004. The World Heritage site includes the assembly site and consists of the old national park established in 1930. In 2004 the national park was enlarged from ca. 50 sqkm to ca. 240 sqkm and the extension, as well as Lake Þingvallavatn, provide the bufferzone for the World Heritage site. The core area is the Innermost Assembly Site, where the assembly representing the whole of Iceland, the Althing (Icelandic "Alþingi", meaning "general assembly") was held from around 930 to 1798. Þingvellir is remarkable as the only Germanic assembly site where remains of administrative structures such as Lögberg (e. Law Rock), Lögrétta (e. Law Council) and Biskupabúðir (e. Bishops' Booths) have been preserved. Remains of many manmade structures pertaining to the assembly and its functions dating from the 10th to 18th centuries can be found there. In its entirety, the area of remains at Þingvellir is also unique in that remains of a large part of the attendees' booths can still be seen on the surface and the overall layout of the assembly area can still be envisaged. Archaeological research has been carried out at Þingvellir. Researchers have considered the locations of places and events in saga literature, surveyed old sites, made maps, and published their findings. Cultural remains in the area are protected by the National Heritage Act no. 107/2001 and the Þingvellir National Park Act no. 47/2004.